Battery monitoring

[learning all the time]

Sorry if I am putting this in the wrong section but I do not really see a proper spot.

I need to add battery monitoring to my system but am tired of drilling holes in my walls for things I may want to upgrade in the near future. Does anyone have any experience with the Victron smartshunt? For me it would be awesome. A bt shunt I can look at only when I want to. This is the product.

Let me know if you have ever used this and besides not having a ready display what disadvantages it has.

Thanks.
SmartShunt
The Smart Battery Shunt
The SmartShunt is an all in one battery monitor, only without a display. Your phone acts as the display. The SmartShunt connects via Bluetooth to the VictronConnect App on your phone (or tablet) and you can conveniently read out all monitored battery parameters, like state of charge, time to go, historical information and much more.
Alternatively the SmartShunt can be connected and be read by a GX device. Connection to the SmartShunt is made via a VE.Direct cable.
The SmartShunt is a good alternative for a BMV battery monitor, especially for systems where battery monitoring is needed but less wiring and clutter is wanted.
The SmartShunt is equipped with Bluetooth, a VE.Direct port and a connection that can be used for: monitoring a second battery, midpoint monitoring or a temperature sensor.
The SmartShunt is available in 500A. The 1000A and 2000A will follow later this year.
Models:500A, 1000A, 2000A

 

[Dzl]

Its a very new product (came out this spring or last winter I think). Lots of people have experience with the Victron BMV-712 battery monitor, I don't know of anyone here who has the shunt.

You can download the Victron app on your phone, it has a Demo mode that lets you try out any of the BT devices, if you want to get a feel for it.

 

[nosys70]

the problem is you get no information about cells, just the whole battery.
So depending the type of battery you use (unless you use a single 12V battery) , a smart bms would be a better solution.

 

[Ampster]

The title of this thread is a good example of how loosely defined is the term "battery monitor" .

 

[nosys70]

and a shunt will not give any info about the battery, it will just give info about how much electrcity has passed trough the shunt.
so with a shunt you are monitoring more the load than the battery.
to monitor a battery you will read the voltage (under minimal load you can guess the SOC), you will also use a BMS to read each cells if possible.

 

[Dzl]

Ideally both a BMS and a Shunt will be used.

 

[learning all the time]

Ideally both a BMS and a Shunt will be used.
[/QThanks DZI. Yes I am adding 560AH of LifePo4. I will be running 2 smart BMS to the battery banks but I need a shunt to monitor my outputs as accurately as possible. I did actually get this and have it temporarily installed. I believe it has all the same info as a 712 without the screen but built in bluetooth. So far it works great. My only complaint is that the bluetooth has a range of about 15 to 20 feet.

 

[learning all the time]

The title of this thread is a good example of how loosely defined is the term "battery monitor" .

LOL I agree. There are many ways to monitor a battery. As I destroyed my original "house" batteries on my motorhome I want to verify my actual discharge rates as a lot of the rates online seem to be off.

 

[Craig]

and a shunt will not give any info about the battery, it will just give info about how much electrcity has passed trough the shunt.
so with a shunt you are monitoring more the load than the battery.
to monitor a battery you will read the voltage (under minimal load you can guess the SOC), you will also use a BMS to read each cells if possible.

Im pretty sure this thing will know the battery voltage obviously it wont know each cells voltage.

 

[learning all the time]

Im pretty sure this thing will know the battery voltage obviously it wont know each cells voltage.

You are correct. Battery voltage used and available. AH used and available. Battery temp etc. Its suppossed to even factor in the puekert effect to adjust for battery wear thus helping calculate available battery AH.

 

[CaptainDenmark]

Im pretty sure this thing will know the battery voltage obviously it wont know each cells voltage.

Does the chargery BMS offer any way of logging the cell voltage during charge/discharge ?
Software that can read data from the unused com port?